The Mirage Prince of Tennis
by pokecharmer007
Summary: We all know who the prince of tennis is. Echizen Ryoma, tennis prodigy, son of Nanjirou, Samurai Junior. But what we didn't know is that there is a second prince out there called the Mirage Prince; the prince who would appear at one moment and disappear at the next. Meet Nanase Masahiko, Ryoma's best friend who has a sense of knowing. How will this affect the story? Possible Slash.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey guys, and welcome to another story! I know I haven't updated any of my stories but please blame that to my lame-ass wifi connection, which kept connecting and disconnecting at times, and my writer's block. Anyways, I had been wanting to do this for a long while now but didn't know how to get around but after reading one SI story, I was given an inspiration on what to do so here it is.**_

 _ **Oh, and FYI, since I haven't been writing for so long, prepare yourself for some bad composition.**_

 _ **Last thing, knowing me, I might be adding a Slash here. You have been warned.**_

 _ **Without further ado, let's roll the chapter!**_

* * *

 **~Chapter 1: The Prince of Tennis and The Mirage Prince~**

"Ah geez, that Ryoma! He's not picking up his phone!" I grumbled as I looked down at my sky-blue phone. "I hope he's not lost or anything." Sighing, I put my phone back in my pocket before running towards the station, hoping that he didn't go to Kakinokizaka Tennis Garden yet. 'Or, better yet, didn't ask for directions from a certain ditsy girl.' Once there, I looked around trying to find a certain cap-wearing boy carrying a tennis bag when I saw a girl with twin braids talking to an older woman in a pink jersey and sweatpants.

'Ah, could it be I'm too late?' Jogging towards them, I asked, "Ano, have you seen a boy wearing a cap and carrying a tennis bag? He's kind of my height, only a bit taller."

"Oya, why if it isn't Masahiko-kun?" the older woman, who I now know as Ryuzaki Sumire-sensei, said. "Looking for _**him**_ , I see?"

"Ah, konnichiwa, Ryuzaki-sensei." I greeted politely. "Hai, we did promised to meet at Kakinokizaka Tennis Garden. Until I forgot that he probably didn't know his way around here so I thought of calling him to wait for me here but..."

"Ah, could his name be Echizen Ryoma-kun?" the braided girl asked. I turned to her and nodded. "Then he should be on his way there now. He had asked me for directions so I told him to use the South Exit."

The girl's grandmother looked at her in shock, "What are you talking about, Sakuno? The Garden is just ahead of the North Exit."

"Eh, North Exit?!" The girl exclaimed. She turned to look at the South Exit. "Ah! What do I do? I told him the wrong directions!"

'I knew it. I should have called him earlier.' I inwardly face-palmed. "Then I'll try to catch up to him. It's nice meeting you again, Sensei!" waving goodbye to the two, I rushed towards the South Exit and weaved my way through the crowd, hoping to catch up to him.

 **XXXX**

Upon reaching the Garden, I tried looking around the areas outside the courts, trying to find the boy. 'Where is he?'

"A-Ano!" a voice called out. I turned to find the twin-braided girl. "Can I help? It's my fault that I told him the wrong direction!"

I blinked before nodding, "Ah, that's great. Just find anyone lying on the grass. That should be him." She nodded, and thus, the search for a certain prince began. Though it didn't take long since I finally found him where he should canonically be. "Oi, Ryoma!"

Said boy sat up in surprise and turned to me. "Masa!"

"Geez, where the hell were you? I've been trying to call you." I said.

The boy blinked before rummaging in his bag, trying to find his phone before saying, "Ah. I must have left it at home."

I would have face-faulted right there and then if I haven't considered that at all. "I have a feeling it would be that."

"Urusai..."

"Masahiko-kun! Did you find him?" The twin-braided girl ran towards us, clearly out of breath. Maybe I shouldn't have asked a girl who is not so good in the athletics department to run around a big area like this one.

"Ah, I found him!" I turned to her as she stopped right beside me before turning back to Ryoma, who was glaring at the girl. This surprised me since in the anime, he showed indifference when she told him the wrong direction. It could be that he wants to show me how much he had improved since we last seen each other, but I could be wrong...

"A-Ano, did you make it on time?" She asked, looking genuinely sorry.

"...I was 5 minutes late. I defaulted." he replied, tilting his cap down.

"I'm so sorry!" she said as she bowed. "It's my fault."

"You're right..." He said, looking up at her. "Could it have been anyone else?"

I sighed. 'Couldn't he have said it in a less rude way? But this is Ryoma we're talking about.' After that was a very awkward silence before I decided to break it. "Well, I don't know about you but I'm getting kind of thirsty."

This perked the two tweens up a bit.

"A-Ano, then!" she suddenly said, clapping her hands together. The two of us stared at her, confused.

 **XXXX**

I inserted the coins into the vending machine before pressing a button three times. As the three cans of grape Ponta dropped, I gave one to Ryoma before grabbing the last two and turned to give the last one to the girl.

"Sorry, I didn't bring any change..." she apologized quietly as she gratefully took it. We then took a seat on a nearby bench with me being in between the two. The silence came back again before the girl decided to break it.

"Um... thank you for earlier." she said. "You saved me on the train..."

Ryoma turned his head towards her, confused. "From what?"

"From what? Well... if you didn't step in, then I could have been hit by the racket."

"You were on the same train?" This surprised the girl as she turned to him. "Where did you sit?"

"Right across from you." Was her reply

He blinked before indifferently sipping his drink, "Hmm? Whatever. I just told them to shut up because they were loud, that's all..."

The girl pouted and I whispered to her, "Please forgive him. He's like this with everyone." She blushed a bit before nodding.

"What did you say?" Wah, I almost forgot that he has the 'Jigoku mimi'.

"It's nothing!" I said before lifting up his bag. "But geez, Ryoma, why is your bag so heavy? Did you accidentally put Karupin inside again?"

He flushed a pink tint before shouting, "That was one time!"

"Yeah, yeah." I said as I placed the bag beside me. Man, it's fun to tease him. Then my ears picked up a slight sound before moving my head to the side, narrowly avoiding a thrown can.

"Sorry for being so loud..." a haughty voice was heard. They turned around to find four teenagers walking towards them. I raised a brow as I eyed the fourth one wearing a tennis attire. 'Was he in the anime? Or manga?'

"That's the brat from earlier." One of the goons said. (Goon A)

"It looks like he just lost and is ready to leave, huh?" Another goon said. (Goon B)

"It could be!" The last goon laughed. (Goon C)

The orange idiot put his racket near Ryoma's face. "I'm seeded in the under-16 tournament... and also one of the people aiming for the trophy. You want me to shut up? I dare you to say that again!"

All Ryoma did was to glare at him.

He pulled his racket away. "I don't like that look of yours!" he seemed to be riled up. "It's 100 years too early for a brat like you to talk to me about tennis!" he lifted his racket. "You ignorant brat-!" he swung the racket.

"Ah!" The girl covered her eyes.

"Oi!" I stopped the racket before it could go anywhere near Ryoma. I know the guy wouldn't really hurt him(yet) but I'm not going to sit around and let it happen right before my eye. "If you're seeded, then you should know violence is not forgivable in the area unless you're looking for disqualification." Wrenching the racket out of his hand, I used it to point at him the same way he did to Ryoma, "If you want to settle this, then settle it like a sportsman! In a tennis match!"

 **XXXX**

In the end, due to my big mouth, I was forced to play a doubles match with Ryoma. Well, it's not as if this will change the plot or anything, this 'episode' is to introduce the main protagonist, Ryoma but because I just so happened to be there and opened my big, fat mouth, I'm going to get introduced as well. Not that I'm complaining anyways, it's been awhile since I last played doubles with Ryoma.

"Just like old times, huh?" I said as I borrowed a racket from Ryoma since I didn't bring my tennis bag as I didn't think I would be playing in any matches. Luckily I was wearing a sports attire. which consists of a white polo-tee with light-blue linings and a pair of white shorts. "How long has it been since we last played together?"

The cap-wearing prince hummed, "Around six-seven years old, I guess. Mah, just don't get in my way."

I twitched as I went to my position, "As cocky as always."

"Best of one set match. Sasabe to serve." said Goon C.

"You are okay with no referee? We'll self judge, okay?" Sasabe said as he held the tennis ball.

"Sure, I don't mind." was Ryoma's reply as he did his steps.

Sasabe smirked. "Don't worry, I'll give you a handicap..." he said, throwing up the ball. "Here, an underhand serve!"

I watched as Ryoma stared at the incoming slow ball before swinging his racket, "Play seriously!" I smirked at the surprised expression on his face when the ball whizzed past him.

"Hai, Love-15!" I said.

"Heh, I was just fooling around..." Sasabe said.

I rolled my eyes at him. Yeah right!

The match then started as we rallied a couple of times. I'll admit that these two seniors are good but definitely not in par with us as Ryoma returned the ball, earning us another point. "Hai, game won by Echizen-Nanase pair, 0-1!" The plot is already out of order since it's not like the canon but hey, what harm can it do? And somehow, Ryuzaki-sensei had appeared during the match.

Sasabe then served the ball, which started whizzing quickly towards us. "There it is! Sasabe's Bullet Serve!" Goon B said.

I scoffed as I ran towards the area it'll land. "Bullet serve? More like Tortoise Serve!" I shouted as I returned the ball. Goon C tried to receive it but it landed before he could reach it. "If you think that's a fast serve, then you're overestimating yourself." I said to him.

"Besides, don't you mean Snail Serve?" Ryoma cut in as he stood beside me.

"Chotto, Ryoma." I turned to him with a slight pout. "Don't you think that's mean? At least I was nice enough not to call it the Sloth Serve."

"That could be a good name." We then shared a laugh, ticking the two seniors off.

 **XXXX**

Ryuzaki-sensei sighed in exasperation, "Mattaku, like father like son. Those two."

"Nee, Obaa-chan. Did you know those two? It seems like you've met Masahiko-kun before." Sakuno asked.

"Ah, I met him through his father. As for Echizen Ryoma, he is the Prince of Tennis."

"The prince of tennis?" She asked.

"Echizen Ryoma. 12 years old. In a year and a half, he won 4 straight junior tournaments in the US, and is known as a prodigy."

"Four straight?!"

"Yup, there's no fluke in that. He's the son of one of my students. Their family is returning to Japan, and even though he's not known here, he said he was going to appear in this tournament. I told him that if he was that strong, he should register in the Under-14 instead of Under-12, but Ryoma boasted that if he was going to play, he'd play in the Under-16 category." She then sighed. "What a guy..."

"Heh... Ja, what about Masahiko-kun?" Sakuno asked as she turned her gaze to the other boy who was returning another ball.

"Nanase Masahiko, also 12 years old. Unlike Ryoma, he didn't appear much in competitions. Only appearing and winning one junior tournament in the US." Was her reply.

"Eh?!"

"But that's because, like his father who is also another of my student, he doesn't like to attract attention so he stays away from the spotlight as much as he could. That doesn't mean he's weak, though. He did beat a former pro once when he was nine years old after all."

"Nine years old?! Former pro?!" Sakuno exclaimed before turning to the two who had won another point. "S-Sugoi..."

"That's why he's called the 'Mirage Prince'. Only appearing for a moment and then disappearing the next." Ryuzaki-sensei finished. Her granddaughter looked at her in awe before hearing a cry of pain. She turned to find Masahiko on the ground holding onto his face, Ryoma kneeling beside him.

"W-What happened?!" Sakuno exclaimed. The coach could only narrow her eyes at the seniors.

 **XXXX**

"Game won by Echizen-Nanase pair, 0-2!" I called as Ryoma took out a ball from his pocket.

"You're going to appear in the finals, right? Let's end this quickly, then." Ryoma said as he readied himself.

"Echizen's Serve." I called as he served, the ball whizzed past them as usual.

"15-0." I called again before narrowing my eyes when Goon C and Sasabe whispered to each other. I slightly turned to Ryoma who glanced at me, nodding. I readied myself since this could be where Sasabe tries to use his height as an advantage.

Ryoma served the ball, and a rally began which confused me. 'Shouldn't Sasabe be using his dirty trick by now? Unless...' I was snapped out of my thoughts when Goon C jumped up trying to catch the ball until...

"Take this! You arrogant brat!" Goon C shouted as he threw his racket at Ryoma who was right in range.

Realizing what was about to happen, I rushed towards him, "!...Ryoma!" Pushing him out of the way, I ended up taking the hit instead. "Argh!" I cried as my bottom hit the floor while I tried nursing the pain in between my eyes. It was a good thing it wasn't my left eye, or these guys won't be seeing the next sunrise.

"I'm sorry," Goon C said in a not so sorry manner as he picked up his racket. "My hand slipped."

I felt something warm on my hand so I looked down at it and winched to see my blood on it. Ah-ah, dad is so going to flip if he hears about this.

"Masa!" I can feel Ryoma beside me so I slowly turned to him, wincing a bit as he lightly touched the cut. Out of the corner of my, I could see Sakuno and Ryuzaki. Huh, shouldn't it be now where Sakuno starts running into the courts? Maybe it's because I'm not Ryoma... She did develop a major crush on him in the anime and in the manga.

"Ahaha... Daijobu, it's just a scratch." I said as I started to stand before taking out a handkerchief and dabbed at the spot, picking up my racket. "Besides that," I turned to the seniors as I kept the kerchief back inside my pocket and gave them my best cold stare, which did what I wanted when they froze. "Tennis is not a tool used to hurt people. It is not supposed to be used to make people sad, to hurt people, to destroy or whatnot. It was created to be fun. And since you two decided to go against that..."

I can feel Ryoma's smirk as he lightly draped against my left shoulder, tapping his racket on his left shoulder while I tapped mine on the right.

"Oretachi/Bokutachi katsu ni wa mada mada dane!" We said in smirking unison. Faintly, I can hear Ryuzaki-sensei say, "It's decided."

After that was a bit of a blur as Ryoma and I crushed the seniors badly, though I did wonder if Ryoma purposely aimed the Twist Serves on Goon C since his signature move tends to attack people at random when it comes to Doubles. Meh, not that I cared.

* * *

 **Japanese meanings:**

 _Ano_ \- Umm...

 _Oya_ \- Oh

 _-kun_ \- A common honorific suffix on boys younger than you

 _Konnichiwa_ \- Hello

 _Hai_ \- Yes

 _Sensei_ \- Teacher/Mentor

 _Urusai_ \- Shut up

 _Jigoku mimi_ \- A person with ' _hell ears_ ' has a knack for hearing secrets–usually bad ones–that people don't want to be heard. Alternatively, _jigoku mimi_ can sometimes refer to a person who never forgets things that they have heard

 _Oi_ \- Hey

 _Chotto_ \- A little/A bit but in this sentence, it could also mean 'Hey'

 _Mattaku_ \- Honestly (In an exasperated way)

 _Ja_ \- Then

 _Daijobu_ \- I'm fine

 _Oretachi/Bokutachi katsu ni wa mada mada dane!_ \- You still have a long way to beat us!

 _Ore_ \- A masculine informal way to refer oneself

 _Boku_ \- A Masculine formal way to refer oneself.

 _Oretachi_ \- Us (Informal)

 _Bokutachi_ \- Us (Formal)


	2. Chapter 2

~Chapter 2: The Start of a New Year~

The next day, I was preparing myself for the new school year as I packed my stuff into my tennis bag before zipping up. Looking into the mirror to find a slightly petite boy with short burgundy hair with a few that spiked to resemble animal ears (imagine Yoshika's hair from Strike witches), front bangs in the shape of a W with shoulder length side bangs framing the heart-shaped face, feline-like sky-blue eyes and fair skin, I recalled how it turned out like this.

Previously, you must be wondering why I was talking about plots or "This shouldn't be happening" or "That shouldn't be happening". Well, to make it simple, I wasn't supposed to be born here in the first place. Okay, not that depressing stuff but literally, I wasn't supposed to exist here. Why? Because I'm not originally from here.

Let me start from the beginning. I was originally born in Califonia, August 15th, and had a normal life. All of these that is happening to me now? They're supposed to be fictional, as in not real, in my original world. That's right; all of this is actually an anime I loved to watch when I was a kid, and maybe when I was older. I had a loving family, a normal school life and an overall normal/anime-filled life. Nothing too depressing...

Back then, I was named Eugenia Mallory. Now you might be wondering: Isn't Eugenia a girl's name? Then, yes it is. That's because I was originally a girl, until I died and got reborn here as a boy, of course. I was surprised yet not surprised at the same time since 'Prince of Tennis' is an all-round Shounen manga/anime series which centers around male tennis players so that explains why I was turned into a guy instead.

But that also brings me to the next point which is I was kind of excited if I were to be a girl again, then I could at least know where the girls' tennis clubs stand in the tennis world, but... Since we hardly ever see them in the manga and not see them at all in the anime, I can somewhat pinpoint where their status are. Which I still think it's a bit sexists.

I mean, come on! We have famous female tennis players! Like Maria Sharapova, Casey Dellacqua, Serena Williams etc! The anime even have that one Hannah Eissenheimer!

But seeing this is called ' **Prince** of Tennis' and not ' **Princess** of Tennis', girls will have less to no recognition.

Oh, should I also mention that I had a fiance back in my previous life? Yes, I was engaged to be married a week before I died.

Jason Clause was my high-school sweetheart and we were together for almost five years before he decided to pop the question. I said yes, of course and we planned everything... All for it to go under when a jealous ex-girlfriend of his decided to shoot me directly in the heart for taking away the love of her life. When it was clearly because Jason couldn't stand her 'Yandere' personality; I could almost compare her with Yuno from Mirai Nikki without the gore the first time we met when she threatened me with a freaking pair of scissors. What is she, Akashi now?

Anyways, so I finally bled to death with the insane woman standing over my lifeless body, laughing her head off before she was dragged away by several police officers. Hopefully, locking her away in some mental asylum.

The next thing I know, I found myself in a room with an unknown man and woman surrounding me, cooing at me. I was shocked to find myself alive since I was clearly shot point-blank by a freaking gun so how was it that I'm still alive?

I wanted to ask what happened but all that came out was gurgles and babbling nonsense. I tried sitting up but I found myself flailing my limbs around, and that's where I realized something was wrong.

I was reborn back into a baby.

Let's just say, my new parents did all they can to stop the crying without knowing the reasons why.

 **XXXX**

So I was reincarnated into a new world, in a new body of the opposite sex. I had a rough time wrapping my head around the idea at first, but I eventually got used to it. Though I couldn't say the same for my new family.

Nanase Kyoshiro is pretty much... a second Kikumaru Eiji. Childish, hyper like a kid on high sugar, and a big ball of sunshine. A complete opposite of my previous dad who was calm and composed yet strict at the same time. The only time my new dad was ever serious is in a tennis match. Yes, you heard right; my new dad is a world-renown tennis pro nicknamed the 'Magician' due to his tricky and illusion-like play style. And said to be a rival to Samurai Nanjiro.

So yeah, that's the time where I finally realized I got reincarnated to Prince of Tennis, with me being the son of Nanjiro's rival. I think I was around two-three years old when dad and I traveled to America because he had a tournament there, and he said we'll be bunking with an old friend of his. I wouldn't have thought that that old friend was THE Echizen Nanjiro. Or the fact that a younger Ryoma was that cute.

I had seen his younger self a couple times in the anime and movie but he's even cuter in person. At least he didn't have that cocky attitude he's known to have... Not now anyways. Surprisingly, we hit it off quite well, albeit being forced to interact by our dads, but he was quite nice to be around... Despite the fact that he tends to follow me around like a lost duckling for some unknown reason and couldn't pronounce my name correctly (Couldn't be helped, he's two). Thus earning my childhood nickname... 'Ma-Ma'.

What about my new mom? ...I didn't get to know her much since she passed away a year after I was born. Dad said that she had a weak body to begin with so her being able to give birth to me and lasted almost a year was a miracle to behold until her body couldn't take it anymore...

I didn't know how much it hurts to have a loved one died so early in your childhood until now...

But enough of the depressing stuff.

So after living with the Echizen's for almost eight years (why didn't we just bought a house here is beyond me, at least I get to know when Ryoma gets Karupin), dad decided to move back to Japan as he wanted to open a clinic there. Cue teary goodbyes, manly farewells, and many hugs for me. Ryoma and I did make a promise on seeing who improved the most when we see each other again, and the rest is history.

Nothing big happened after then since not much is known on what Ryoma did prior to the anime but it could be irrelevant to the story.

Though what surprised me the most is that I'm quite good in tennis, considering I had never touched a tennis racket in my previous life. I had played badminton before but that's a whole new different ball game. Could be that my dad is a tennis pro and genetics took care of the rest? Either that or anime logic working its magic... Yeah, let's go with that.

 **XXXX**

A knock on my door snapped me out of my thoughts as Ryoma came into my room. "What are you doing? It's time to go." I nodded and grabbed my tennis bag before heading out with Ryoma.

Another note to make is that, I'm living with the Echizen's now. Because my dad decided to be a sports doctor and had stationed himself in Kyoto's mountainside (For some odd reason), he thought it would be bad for me to keep running up and down the mountain just for me to go to the nearest middle school (When I'm already doing that since elementary), which is a long way from the clinic (which could actually be a good stamina exercise) so he decided to enroll me into Seigaku and have me bunk in with the Echizen family when they said they'll be returning to Japan for Ryoma's and Ryoga's education. They obliged, unsurprisingly, so here I am.

One thing that has changed is that...

"Yo, Puchiko~" Ryoga greeted me while ruffling my hair.

"Puchiko de yu na!" I glared at the older Echizen.

Yep, Ryoga stayed in the family instead of leaving with his aunt like in the canon. I wasn't sure what happened since I was away with dad at the moment; it could be his brotherly love for Ryoma is much stronger than in canon but I could be wrong...

Then again, he did took a liking to me if him calling me petite was anything to go by. Well, it's not my fault I'm short! ...Even though I was back in previous life. Or the fact that I look so feminine (Even though I was a girl in my previous life) but that's not the point! Besides, some of the guys in Prince of Tennis looks so feminine that if they grew their hair longer and wore a skirt, they could pass as a girl (While some already had been mistook for a girl). It didn't helped that some of their Japanese voice actors were females as well.

But even though Ryoga can be an annoying older brother, he deeply cares for his family, including me. I could still remember the dark aura he had emitted when Ryoma blabbered out the truth when Nanako-san asked me about my cut yesterday. He literally looked like he wants to murder someone... Actually, I think it sorts of remind that one time when Fuji had to go up against Mizuki. Boy, that scene was the one time I realized Fuji is literally not all smiles and kind words.

"Ittekimasu!" I called back as Ryoma and I rushed towards Seigaku. Wonder what kind of life it'll be?

* * *

 **~Short Bio of Masahiko~**

Name: Nanase Masahiko (七瀬 正彦)

Nicknames: Masa, Mirage Prince, Puchiko, Prince, Ma-Ma

Gender: Male

Age: 12

Height: 148 cm

Weight: 46 kg

Birthday: February 10

Eye Color: Sky-Blue

Hair Color: Burgundy

Hobby Outside of Tennis: Playing his violin

Seiyuu: Yumiko Kobayashi (As Ginger Bread from Katekyo Hitman Reborn)

* * *

I never thought I would say this, but going through school again is torture. And that's coming from a Full Attendance Straight A student. What makes matter worse is that Ryoma and I got fan clubs dedicated to us, on the first day no less! Wow, I can now imagined why a lot of people say girls in anime and manga are such love-struck puppies. This can also explained why I kept seeing so many POT yaoi doujinshi on the internet, and could also explained why they never get any girlfriends in canon. I can already feel a migraine forming in my head.

Too bad these girls wouldn't be able to win Ryoma's heart. I'm pretty sure they won't win mine, not with the fact I was a girl last time. And having a girl falling in love with me... It's going to be a weird sensation. I'm not against homosexuality; I mean, love knows no bounds, right? Besides, I had an aunt whose friends are gays and they were kind of cool. But having a girl trying to show their undying love for me... I can now understand how Jason felt.

I felt a pang in my heart when I remembered my ex-fiance. Not a day went without me worrying if he's alright back there, or is he coping with my death well? Or did he find another girl to fall in love with? I hoped he did. If not, he better make sure I couldn't go back there to kick his moping butt back in shape.

"Masa?" I snapped out of my depressing thoughts (I kept doing that every time... I need to stop that) and turned to Ryoma who stared at me. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" I asked.

He shrugged as he started walking again with me following. School just let out just now since it's the first day so we're heading towards the tennis courts to register ourselves in. "You looked a bit upset just now." He then glanced at me out of the corner of his eyes. "Something on your mind?"

I smiled a bit, "Just remembered something, that's all. Nothing to worry about."

I could tell he's not convinced. (I mean, we've known each other since we were two so we could read each other perfectly... At times) but decided to let it slide. That's when a guy called out to us.

"Oi, Echizen! Nanase!" We turned to find a uni brow boy, Horio, running towards us with his own tennis bag. "Yo, you two are Echizen and Nanase from my class, right? Are you guys joining the tennis club?"

"Who are you?" Ryoma asked. I can't blame him, he was sleeping throughout homeroom. It was a miracle that the teacher didn't caught on. There's also the fact he shared the similar trait of not remembering insignificant people with his dad and Ryoga. I tuned out the drone that is Horio's 'two years of tennis experience' and quickly walked away with Ryoma following suit, leaving the boy to ramble about his far-off dream. "Was he in our class?"

"He was, but knowing you, you wouldn't remember." I replied, turning my head to him. Which I regretted since my left is my blind-spot so I collided painfully with a wall. "Ita!" I softly cried out since my left eye throbbed painfully.

"Otto! If you don't look where you're going, you'll hit someone." the 'wall' said. I looked up, covering my left eye, and realized it's Momoshiro.

"Gomenasai, I wasn't paying attention." I apologized while trying to soothe the pain a bit.

"It's fine." It was then he noticed the tennis bags we're carrying. "Are you two going to join the tennis club?"

"Hai, we're planning to." I replied while discreetly holding Ryoma back from attacking the guy. If you didn't know, Ryoma can be a bit overprotective of me. I can't blame him though, not after the accident. Not something I want to talk right now.

"I see. Well, I'll be going then. Look in front when you walk... In front!" With that, he walked away.

"What's with that guy?" I almost jumped when Horio suddenly appeared. I almost forgot he was there.

"Who knows." I said before releasing my grip on Ryoma's wrist, who is still glaring at the guy's back. I sighed before lightly tapping his forehead with my knuckle. "Ryoma, it was an accident so stop trying to melt him with your glare."

"...Che."

 **XXXX**

Turns out we couldn't sign up since the juniors and seniors have a game with another school so the sign-ups were changed to the next day. i knew about it but it would be a bit suspicious that I knew what only the club members know so I feint ignorance.

"Hey, you there! Are you here to join our tennis club?" a sophomore asked.

"Ah, hello." they said in sync and bowed.

"I'm Mizuno Katsuo, a freshman."

"I'm Katou Kachiro."

"I'm Horio Satoshi. I'm honoured to join a tennis club as renowned as Seigaku's. I have 2 years of tennis experience." We don't care, Horio!

Then the sophomores stared at us so I introduced, "Eto, Nanase Masahiko desu. This is Echizen Ryoma. Both of us are freshmen as well."

"We know of a good game, do you want to try it?" one of the sophomores said.

"Eh, game?" Horio asked.

"You mean that? Right, right! You must play that." the other sophomore shot a knowing smirk to his friend, which I narrowed my eyes at. I shot a knowing glance at Ryoma who nodded in return.

We then headed into the courts. "-the rules are simple." He said as he placed down the can. "You serve from over there and try to hit the can in 10 tries." He then proceeded to do the cliché pause of dramatics. "The prize money is 10,000 yen."

"Eh?!" the 3 freshmen boys exclaimed.

"Well, it's like a sign-up ritual."

"The tryout fee is 200 yen per person. Want to try it?"

"It's 10,000 yen!" Horio said.

"Of course we'll do it!" Katsuo and Kachiro said in sync.

Ryoma and I were to the side as we watched the three trying to hit the can. Seriously, they're so gullible. You think they could at least be a bit logical...

"Senpai, please allow us to try it." the three said in sync. It's kind of surprising how these three were so in sync when they just only met.

"That's the spirit!" they smirked to each other.

"Should we do something about this?" I whispered to Ryoma who looked on with indifference. "...Thought so. Okay, we'll just let it flow."

Ten minutes later, Katsuo and Kachiro were done with their turn. I have to admit, though amateurs, if they practice enough, they could be good for beginners. Up next is Horio who... pretty much missed them all in a rinse and repeat cycle. I sighed at this. He has a good form and stance but his control and aim... I'll leave it to you to decide.

Until finally, Horio served a pretty good serve which started flying towards the can but could only graze it. Actually, even though it's Horio, the can should have fallen from the force behind the serve.

"Too bad." the junior said.

"It was difficult after all..." Horio slumped his shoulders, then reached into his pocket. "So, the tryout fee is 200 yen. Here." the trio took out their 200 yen together.

"Huh? Maybe you misunderstood." The boy tuned the can over, revealing a slip of paper that was stuck on. "'Knock down the can' serve game. 500 yen per ball, 200 yen tryout fee extra. Together, it's 5,200 yen per person."

"No way!" "We don't have that much money."

"Just blame it on your bad skills." the junior said.

I twitched at that as I got out my sky-blue racket out. "Okay, I've seen enough." I know this should be Ryoma's time to shine but these guys deserve a thrashing, damn it!

"Don't do it, Nanase! You'll never hit it." Horio said.

"You will never knock it down if you went directly at the can." I said.

"What are you talking about?" the brown haired junior said.

"There are rocks in there, right?" I replied as I served. "So all I have to do is..." The ball then hit the top of the can causing it to fall over, revealing pebbles inside. "...hit the top..."

"That's so cool! He hit the top of the can with pinpoint accuracy!" Horio said in awe.

"Hai, okay." I nonchalantly said as I went back to my bag.

"Ah, the senpais are cheating! That's so dirty!" Horio shouted.

"Shut up! What does a newcomer know?!"

"Curse that brat. He shouldn't have done that."

I tagged Ryoma who walked into the courts with his racket, "Give them a good show."

"Uis..." He replied as he ready himself. "If I hit it a 100 times, you'll give 1, 000, 000 yen?" With that he served the ball, over and over, each hitting the can dead-on.

"A... awesome control..."

I lightly scoffed. 'Of course.' At that moment, Momoshiro decided to appear as he smashed the ball into the can, causing a dent. After that was how the anime had gone with the junior asking for a match with Ryoma. Somewhere along the way, Sakuno and Tomoka, along with the reporters Shiba and Inoue came along as they watched the exchange. Ah, Tomoka just fell love at first sight.

"I'll defeat you." he announced. "Have to do it before you start to bud."

I scoffed, causing all of their attention to gather to me, which I inwardly flinched. 'I seriously hate the attention.' "Go ahead and try. You'll only hasten his growth."

 **XXXX**

"I'll be the referee. Will that be okay?" I asked as I stood by the side a few fee away from the court lines so I don't get hit by some stray balls while Ryoma had went off to change. Noticing the disbelieving glance the junior had, I said, "I value sportsmanship over dirty tricks so don't worry about me giving unfair points. Besides, Ryoma need a warm-up. He had been a bit edgy for not playing tennis for a day." Momoshiro nodded and was about to walk to his position when I stopped him, "Although you might want to take it easy. You might make it worse."

I turned away, purposely avoiding the look of surprise on his face when Ryoma entered the courts, "Ready?"

"Aren't I always?" He smirked as he handed his bag and school uniform to me and walked to the other side of the court.

"One of this days, Ryoma. That cockiness of yours is gonna bite you back." I sighed, knowing how ironic that sentence will be in the future. I know his personality but would it kill him to be... less cocky?

Momoshiro held the racket straight up. "Which?" he asked.

Ryoma replied with boredom. "Smooth."

"Which?" Katsuo inquired with a puzzled look.

"Smooth?" Kachiro said in return.

"Sheesh..." Horio sighed dramatically. "This is why I don't like beginners." Speaking of cocky...

Before the uni brow could rub more in their faces, I cut in. "That is a tennis term used to determine who serves first." Then I took out my racket and show them the 'M' initial on the bottom of the grip. "If the grip faces right-side up, then it's smooth. If it's upside down, then it's rough." Then I turned to Horio, putting away my racket, "And Horio, you're a beginner as much as they are, if your serves just now are anything to go by." I inwardly smirked at his expression before turning back to the courts, hearing their conversation at the same time.

"Nanase-kun's so cool." That's Katsuo.

"Un, un." That's Kachiro.

Wow, suddenly I have boy admirers now... I watched as Momoshiro allowed Ryoma to serve first since he wanted to see his Twist Serve. I sighed, there is no way Ryoma would give him what he wants. I cleared my throat, "The match between Momoshiro-senpai and Echizen Ryoma will now begin."

"Uwaah, Nanase-kun looks so professional." That must be Shiba, right? "I wonder if he refereed any matches before?" Only the ones Ryoma's in...

"Best of one set match, Echizen to serve!" I watched as Momoshiro tensed once that was said, and Ryoma also prepared for his serve. He swung her arm and threw the ball into the air, with his other arm reacting immediately to bring forth the racket, which made contact with the ball and sent it on its course. However, it landed outside of the right zone. "Fault!" I called out.

Behind me, I could hear Tomoka gushing for her 'Ryoma-sama' before Shiba explained that a fault means he have to serve again. If he fault again, it's a point to Momoshiro.

Momoshiro held his racket up and pointed at him. "I don't want anymore slice serves. Don't hold out on me." He said seriously. Didn't I say to take it easy? Well, this is Momoshiro. Like Ryoma, he's as stubborn as a mule.

"Yadda." Ryoma simply said, making me sweat-dropped. See, what I told you.

"Urg." Momoshiro stepped back. "Arrogant brat."

Once again, Ryoma prepared to serve. I raised a brow at the familiar stance he's using. So he's going to use it. He caught the ball on its last bounce, then threw it high up in the air. He prepared for a short jump, and bent his knees slightly, raising his racket and served.

Momoshiro got into the position for a return, and drew his hand back. The ball bounced. However, he didn't anticipate the direction it would bounce in.

His racket crashed into the ground as he dropped it. "Wha-?!" Everyone stared at the fallen racket in shock.

"Hai, 15-love!" I called out, ignoring the ruckus they're causing over a Twist Serve. Well, it's not as if all junior high students can use it but I've seen it so many times it's not as impressive anymore. The match goes on until Momoshiro finally scored a point. "Hai, 30-15! You're getting soft there, Ryoma!" I smirked as he glared at my way.

"Ōkina osewa!" he retorted as he served another Twist Serve. Doesn't he know the opponent won't fall for it twice? Momoshiro finally returned to serve and a rally happened until Ryoma decided a drop volley. My eyes narrowed when the junior's feet dragged a bit, causing him to fall down.

"You can do that too?!" Momoshiro said, exasperated as he sat on the ground.

"Hai, 40-15!" I called out before turning to Momoshiro. "If he can only serve, then what's the point of playing tennis?" Seriously... Have some common sense! "And besides..." I smirked as Ryoma switched hands. "He's hasn't been playing seriously enough." He was about to serve when...

"Time out!" He was distracted by Momoshiro's call. "I quit!" He called out. "It's over."

"Eeeeeh?!" They exclaimed.

"I'll let you go for now." Momoshiro rested the back of his head on his hands.

"Doesn't matter to me." Ryoma muttered as he walked towards me. "Play a match with me once we get home."

"Sure, I know you're still riled up." I said as I returned his uniform to him. "Hurry up and change." Once he's gone, I turned to the junior and walked towards him. "Mattaku..." This caught his attention. "Didn't I say to take it easy? At least you're smart enough to stop before it got any worse, or you'll jeopardize your own career."

The junior blinked before standing up, easily towering over me. "How did you know?"

I shrugged, "My dad is a sports doctor so I helped him out at times. So it's easy for me to see the symptoms. No matter how small."

"Naruhodo." He nodded before petting my head like a certain older Echizen. "If you don't mind, can you keep it a secret?"

I sighed, "Sure, but if I see any further symptoms, I'm calling my dad. And don't come complaining to me if he starts lecturing you on the etiquette of proper physical health."

"Hai, hai."

 **XXXX**

I watched as Ryoma packed his stuff into his tennis bag while the Freshmen Trio surrounded him, asking all sorts of questions.

"Echizen, which club did you train at?!" Horio inquired enthusiastically.

"Temple." Was his reply, which shocked them.

"Wait, Tomoka-chan!" I turned to see Sakuno being pulled by Tomoka. Ah, this should be where Ryoma's 'Do-I-Know-You' trait comes in.

"Hajimemashite, I'm friends with Ryuzaki Sakuno. My name is Osakada Tomoka desu. Yoroshiku." The pigtailed girl greeted.

"Huh?" I can see the confusion on his face as I stood next to him.

"Hello, Ryoma-kun. I'm sorry about last time." Sakuno said. Poor girl, she's going to have her heart broken in the next minute.

"Ryuzaki Sakuno..." He mumbled before turning to me. "De, who's that?"

I face-palmed, "Mou, Ryoma." I can pretty much feel the depressed atmosphere from the twin-braided girl. "Remember? The one from yesterday?"

That seems to ring a bell for him... Just not in the way I thought he'll remember. "Ah. The one who gave me the wrong direction."

"Sou chi ka?!" I exclaimed.

Well, all in all, our first day of our new middle school year didn't really started with a bang but it's interesting nonetheless. Wonder how tomorrow will be.

* * *

 ** _Okay, to clear things up: some parts of the chapter are not made up. They are actually canon, just in games. Like in Sweat and Tears 2, you're the child of Nanjiro's rival/friend, Kyoshiro who's bunking with the Echizen family for the middle school year, even though you only met them on that time. And... you're not a tennis prodigy since you were aiming to be a sports trainer instead so you did not touch a racket until you first started school. And yes, Kyoshiro's play style is also canon as it's revealed in the male route. Just go to youtube and watch some gameplays of this game._**

 ** _Also, you might be wondering about Masahiko's left eye. That will be revealed later in the story. Though I'm not sure if I want Masahiko to be the manager or a regular... Or be both since Mizuki from St. Rudolph did the same._**

 ** _Another thing is, I'll be revealing more OCs later on and they'll be in the same spot as Masahiko... In more ways than one so look forward to it... And maybe more Slashes._**

 ** _Japanese Words:_**

 _Shounen - Young boy_

 _Puchiko - Petite child_

 _Puchiko de yu na! - Stop calling me that!/Stop calling me Puchiko!_

 _Ittekimasu! - I'm going!_

 _Yaoi - Simply... Boys Love_

 _Doujinshi - Japanese Manga_

 _Ita! - Ouch!_

 _Otto - Oops_

 _Gomenasai - I'm sorry_

 _Eto - Interjection that is similar to "uhhh.." or "errr..." and can imply a phrase such as, "well, actually..."_

 _Desu - Japanese for 'it is', often said at the end of sentences to seem cute, unwitting or polite_

 _Senpai - Someone older than you_

 _Uis - Ryoma's way of saying 'Okay'_

 _Un - Yeah/Yes_

 _Yadda - Slang term meaning "no" or "no way!"_

 _Ōkina osewa! - None of your business!_

 _Naruhodo - I see_

 _-chan - A common honorific suffix on girls younger than you_

 _Hajimemashite - It's nice to meet you_

 _Yoroshiku - Nice to meet you_

 _De -_ _Informal term that can have many meanings, but the slang usage is at the beginning of a sentence. When a person starts a sentence with DE, it is more of an interjection, and it's meaning is more like "So...(anyway)..."_

 _Mou - Geez_

 _Sou chi ka?! - That one?!_


	3. Chapter 3

~Chapter 3: Juniors and their Dirty Tricks~

"Are you sure you don't want to join?" Ryoma asked for the tenth time today.

I sighed as we walked towards the courts in our sports attire, "Yes, I am. I've already decided to be a sports trainer like my dad. And you should know how I hated the attention."

Ryoma had been asking me since even our childhood days if I'm really alright with my decision. I know he actually wanted us to be tennis pros but that's his dream, not mine. Besides, if I did join, it'll mess up the story. Unlike Ryoma, I didn't copy any moves from my dad since I don't even know all of his moves. He rarely plays seriously, even when against Nanjiro-san so I have to come up with my own. With the help of my old man, of course, who was so delighted that his precious son had asked him to help. Somehow, he kind of acts like Isshin from Bleach would towards his daughters.

Hopefully he doesn't try his father-son bonding.

Anyways, if I enter the club as a member, there's a higher chance of me being the pillar of support than Ryoma so I didn't want to do that. Instead I applied for being a manager, I did have past experience of being a manager of a club before. Luckily, Ryuzaki-sensei, who knew about my goal (as in sports trainer goal), approved of my application.

"...Yeah, I know." Ryoma mumbled. I know he's definitely remembering that time when the attention they garnered wasn't so pleasant. With that, the conversation was dismissed, much to my pleasure since I really don't want to be reminded of that time. I watched with nonchalance as the members played a few matches together with Ryoma tying his shoelaces beside me. Tuning out the trio's conversation, I tried remembering what happens today. I know it's important but what triggers it?

Then I noticed the other freshmen starting to surround us, which put me on edge before I was pulled away by my hand. I turned to see Ryoma walking us away from the crowd. I could hear Horio boasting about his knowledge.

"There are some... who know nothing but useless info." Ryoma said. I stifled a snicker before realizing that he still had his grip on my hand. I didn't mind; it's his way of comforting me since I'm still not used to having a crowd around me. It's not like I have claustrophobia or agoraphobia, as I said before, I hate being put in the spotlight. Which was why I was called the 'Mirage Prince'.

"Oi." A junior towered over us. "Which one of you is the super freshman?"

Seriously? What kind of name is 'The Super Freshman'? They're making it sound like he's 'Superman' or something. "Super freshman?" I asked.

"...There." Ryoma then pointed to Horio. Normally, I would have cuffed the back of his head but this time, Horio pretty much deserves it. We quickly moved away once the junior's gaze is not on us and did a few warm-ups. Even though I won't be a player in the team, I still have to go through the same thing all freshmen do. It wouldn't do if the manager couldn't handle the training. It was then I remembered about this particular day. Isn't it that Arai and his goons try to sabotage Ryoma by taking away his rackets?

I sighed. I should prevent that but, how is Ryoma going to be in the ranking matches? So I didn't say anything.

 **XXXX**

"I heard that the captain, Tezuka, went undefeated. Isn't that awesome?" Horio boasted... again as we quickly changed into our school uniform after morning practice.

"It's nothing Horio-kun should brag about." Kachiro deadpanned with Katsuo agreeing.

I sighed as I laced up my shoes before standing up and grabbing my bag. I kept thinking of ways to prevent Ryoma's sabotage but they all resulted in me playing doubles with him or just going to stand out. Geez, the things I do for him. Well, I'll have to go with the one less likely for me to stand out. Assuming Arai also hates me as much as he hates Ryoma now.

"Oi! Was that supposed to be a greeting!" I was snapped out of my thoughts, just in time to realize that I had walked out of the locker room with Ryoma bumping into Arai. Geez, I really should stop thinking too deeply or else I'll get lost in my mind. I didn't know what happened since Ryoma just dragged me out of there in a hurry.

After that was how any normal school day is, and finally after school club activities also went without a hitch. I'll have to admit, in the anime, the Regulars did seem cool but in real life, the awe couldn't be compared as I watched the Regulars did some light hitting.

I turned to Ryoma and whispered, "Find any worthy opponent?"

"...Zen zen." He tilted his cap down. I scoffed.

"Hey! You understand now?" Arai boasted slightly as we turned to him. "Just because you can luck out on a Twist Serve doesn't mean that you can compete in the ranking matches."

'Did he even say he wants to be in the ranking matches?' I ignored him as I watched Oishi lobbed another ball but hit it too far, almost high into the sunlight, "Ryoma." I called and he turned to me. "3 steps to your right." He nodded and paced exactly three steps to the right. "Get ready." Then the ball finally fell to where Ryoma is and, with an impossible flexibility, hit the ball.

A row of gaping faces was what greeted me as the ball landed perfectly in the basket.

"Hai, okay." I clapped once.

"It's unexpectedly simple." Ryoma said.

"Hai, hai. Sou desu ka..." I said with a teasing tone as I patted once on his back.

"You..." Arai lashed out in rage and lifted Ryoma up by his shirt. "Don't get onto your horse so fast. There's no room for your annoying freshmen!" He clenched his fist. I was about to butt in when...

"What are you arguing about on the court?" There stood Tezuka Kunimitsu in all of his glory. The members greeted him, though he ignored them. "Penalty for causing a disturbance, run 10 laps around the courts, both of you!"

I raised a brow as Arai created a fuss, only for his laps to increase. Shouldn't I be involved as well? I shrugged as Tezuka shouted orders while turning to Ryoma, "Want me to put your racket back?" He nodded and handed his racket to me before starting his laps. I walked to where our bags are, discreetly hearing the dirty scheme Arai is about to pull. I had already made sure our names on the bags are hidden away so he won't know which bag is which. Unless Lady Luck is smiling on him, he'll still take Ryoma's bag. If not, then it's fine. I need to get new ones anyways.

 **XXXX**

I stretched as I walked back to the courts. Ryuzaki-sensei was teaching me the fundamentals of being the manager, which I already know. I was then shown the training menus of both the regulars and the non-regulars to see if I can add anything else to toughen them up. Boy, and here I thought the basketball team had a strict training.

"Ah, Ryoma." I called out to the cap-wearing boy. "Done with your 20 laps?" He nodded as we entered the courts. "Well, the freshmen should be doing their 100 swings so you might want to get ready."

"Yeah. How's your-" He paused when we reached the bench that held our bags, except instead of two, there's only one. I anticipated that but now to see whose bag had been taken. I turned the bag around to see Ryoma's name, which made me relieved. Luckily, before I was called by the coach, I got a glimpse of where they had put the bag so I can take it back later on.

"What happened? Did you forget your racket?" Horio asked. How could he have forgotten when he was using it just now?

"You seem pretty confident to come without your racket?" Came Arai's voice.

We turned to where they are. "You're saying you don't need the basic training?" Basic? Kid, we'd already covered the basics.

"But he's the 'heralded newcomer'." Now that sounds like he's some prophesied hero from an RPG.

"Seriously? Just how childish can they get?" I muttered before turning to Ryoma. He seems indifferent but I can tell there's a hidden anger behind those eyes. If there's one thing he doesn't like, it's dirty tricks and bad sportsmanship. Okay, in the anime, it's because they took away his bag and he hates people taking his stuff but because I came into the picture, I pretty much drilled the importance of sportsmanship into his head. Of course that still didn't stop his cocky attitude.

"Sorry, but it seems you're mistaken." I spoke up. I then lifted his bag up to reveal the name printed on it. "You see, his bag is right here." This shocked the juniors. "The one you took is mine so I appreciate if you could give it back to me."

"H-Huh... Why us? We didn't take it." Arai said.

'Uh huh, and the lie you're spouting through your teeth is just a big gust of wind.' I tapped my ears. "You shouldn't whisper near me then. I can still hear you loud and clear."

Arai gritted his teeth before smirking, "If you want it back, you'll have to defeat me first." I raised a brow. "But since you don't have a racket..." His friend then handed him an old racket. "Here, you can take this extra one." He said, throwing it to me.

'Well, at least now I know he hates me with a passion. What the hell did I do to have him hate me as well?' I thought. 'That also means I have to play in front of so many people. Great...' I blinked when the racket was taken from me. I looked towards the one who did it to find Ryoma.

"I'll play with you." He said, testing the frame and strings. "Unless you're scared."

I inwardly face-palmed. Add more fuel to the fire, why don't you?!

 **XXXX**

As both players were up and ready on the court, Arai decided that he should begin by speaking up first. "You're confident. I will completely crush you."

"Oi, Nanase! Aren't you gonna stop him!" Horio asked me as I stood by the side.

I turned to him with a raised brow, "You think he'll listen? Forget it, once Ryoma gets like this, there's nothing I can do to change his mind." I turned back. "Besides, he can handle it."

"Here I go!" Arai shouted as he served the ball across the tennis court. Ryoma ran across the tennis court to return the incoming ball which hit the net and bounced back.

"Agh! Just like I thought..." Horio watched the match from his position. "It's impossible with a racket like that!"

"Hey, hey. What's wrong? You're the one with the big mouth!" Arai readied for yet another serve. "Now you're going to suffer till the end!" Tossing the ball up into the air, he swung the racket from his back and hit the ball which landed where Ryoma was waiting. After the bounce, he quickly swung his racket to retaliate. However, this time the ball flew way over head and hit the fence with a loud rattle, and fell, out of bounds. Arai was smirking the whole way.

"It's no good, there's no control at all!" Horio deflated. "What's with that weird impact sound?!"

I stayed quiet as Ryoma knocked the racket's string a couple of times, listening carefully at the sound. "Hmm, I see." I smirked, already knowing the outcome.

"Baka, trying to act tough!" Arai was in his starting position as he mocked the girl. "But your chances of winning is absolutely none!" The moment the ball was in the air, Arai performed the standard motions of a serve, which was to swing the racket around from his back and hit it.

"Not likely." I said, right as the ball arrived in Ryoma's court. He ran to it and hit it once again.

This time, the ball landed in. Right next to Arai's foot. It then proceeded to bounce with a strong force onto the green fence, where Shiba was standing.

Shock, of course, was the emotion that coursed though everyone's face, as gasps of shock was heard, echoing throughout the court. The word which was (not literally) written on Arai's face was astonishment and incredulity. "He hit it!" was the phrase which the freshmen spoke in unison.

"Of course he did." I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "Ojii-san's racket is much older than that."

"Eh?! Seriously?!" Horio exclaimed.

I nodded, "Ojii-san said that he had his racket since he was young so maybe about... thirty to forty years old." I estimated. "Since it took Ryoma this long to get used to it, then that racket is not as old as it looks." I ignored the shock and awe looks on their faces, hearing bits and pieces from the surrounding juniors.

"Are you serious?!"

"He returned it...with that piece of junk!"

"M-Maybe it's not that old...?"

"That's not true"

"The sound of the impact was strange..."

"Eh? But that ball was really fast!"

"That was so slow." Ryoma said which I sweat-dropped at.

"Of course it'd be, Ryoma. That racket didn't see much action for almost a century so what did you expect? It's not like Ojii-san's." I retorted as I walked out of the courts.

"Eh, where are you going, Masahiko-kun?" Kachiro asked. "Ryoma-kun's not done yet."

I turned to him with a smile, "I know. That's why I want to get my bag back." With that, I jogged towards the Regular's locker room. Knowing that the Regulars, Ryuzaki-sensei and the captain aren't around, I went inside, only to be faced with Tezuka, Ryuzaki-sensei and Oishi. I immediately froze. Shouldn't they be in some upper classrooms?! What the hell are they doing in here?!

"Ah, sumimasen." I bowed.

"Oya, Masahiko-kun. What brings you here?" Ryuzaki-sensei asked.

I straightened myself before looking around the room. "Hai, just looking for my bag."

"Did you lose it somewhere?" Oishi, the ever mother hen, asked in concern.

"Iye, it's just some prank by some Senpais. And I just saw them putting it here." I continued while looking until I saw it. "Ah, found it." I ran towards it, only to find that the jerks placed on top of a high shelf. "Ah, how am I gonna get it down?"

Cursing my short height, I tried reaching on my tippy-toes but could barely touch the strap so I tried jumping a few times. On the last jump, I managed to grab the strap but caused the whole bag to fall along with it. I braced for impact, carefully covering my left eye but I felt nothing. No pain, no heavy object on me. Looking up from my raised arms, I find the captain using one arm to hold up the bag while the other to steady me since I almost fell backwards to avoid the bag.

"Ah, arigato gozaimasu." I thanked him as he handed my bag to me.

"Are you alright?!" Oishi asked.

I nodded, "Yes, I am, Oishi-senpai." As if to spite me, my left eye throbbed a bit, causing me to cover it.

"Oi, you just recovered from your injury. I don't need your dad shouting at me for your own carelessness." Ryuzaki-sensei scolded.

"Hai, gomenasai." I apologized. "Well, I have to get going. Thank you for your time." I then head towards the door before bowing to them again. "Pardon the intrusion." As I closed the door and walked away, I sighed in relief. 'Man, that was scary. I didn't think they would be there. But...' I blushed when I remembered the close proximity with Tezuka. 'He's even more handsome up close- What the hell was I thinking! I may be 12 in body but I'm 28 in mind! Okay, just take deep breaths to relax... I better be careful next time.'

 **XXXX**

Meanwhile, back inside the locker room, Ryuzaki smirked as she rearrange the papers for tomorrow's ranking matches. "Injuries?" She looked at up the captain.

"That's right. But it's not my place to say it. It's not something pleasant either." She trailed off at the end, causing a raised brow from the captain and a confused stare from the vice-captain. She then cleared her throat to change the topic. "So you two have met Nanase Masahiko. What do you two think?"

"He seems smaller than I thought. And he doesn't seem to be any different from the other freshmen unlike his friend." Oishi voiced his thoughts. "Are you sure he plays tennis?"

"You did see him before he went for some manager lessons, right?"

"I did. He even told Echizen exactly where to stand to hit the ball even though I hit it too high." The vice-captain said.

"Masahiko-kun is very perceptive, especially to sound. And has a sharp insight as well. Just like his father." The coach chuckled, as if remembering a time long ago. "And just like his father, he tends to stay away from the spotlight. I can't blame him, though. Not after what happened four years ago."

"...Sensei, I would like a proposition." Tezuka spoke for the first time.

"Oh, that's rare of you. What is it?" The coach asked as she spread out the papers. One of the papers had a familiar name: Echizen Ryoma (Freshman). 'Looks like this year will be an interesting one.'

* * *

 **Another thing I want to add to Masa's bio is that he loves to say 'Hai, okay'. It's pretty much as how Ryoma says his catchphrase but not in a taunting way; it's only after he or anyone else had something done like winning a match, cooking food, done their homework etc. So it's a 'Okay, I'm done'-like way.**

 **Sorry if the chapter seems short but this particular episode doesn't have much action or any plot to change to my needs. The next one should be a long one since it's the ranking matches so look forward to it!**

 **Also I won't be including the Japanese words translation since it's a bit annoying to keep scrolling up and down just to find the words. If you want to know, just google it.**


	4. Chapter 4

~Chapter 4: The Intra-school Ranking Matches~

"Well, the ranking matches are starting today." I said as we headed to the courts that are getting ready. Ryoma and I are in our sports attire. "Are you excited?"

"Not really." He shrugged in a nonchalant way. I sighed, he probably thinks of this as any other tournament.

"Still, I think you went overboard yesterday. If I didn't stop you, Arai-senpai might need psychological help." I scolded, remembering the scene when I walked back to the courts. The poor senpai was cowering in the middle of the court, begging for mercy while Ryoma barraged him with tennis balls.

"He deserves it." Ryoma muttered. I sighed again, already pitying the one who's stupid enough to try the same trick again. "Anyways, you'll be in charge of the scores, right?"

I nodded, "Yeah, since I'm the manager so I need to be in charge of the score boards. I don't think I'll be able to see your matches." Ryoma seems like he wants add to something but was cut off when we passed by the freshmen trio who are cheering him on (Only Kachiro and Katsuo, Horio's just standing idly by the side), which he pretty much ignored. It was then we heard a 'fsssshhhh' and turned to find a bandanna-wearing junior sitting by the bushes. Which reminds me... Why is he sitting over there?

"Oi, freshmen." He spoke, which the trio replied back. "Stop slacking off! Now go!" He ordered, causing the three to run off. When he turned to us, I bowed before pushing Ryoma towards the courts.

"Well, that's scary..." Ryoma sarcastically said.

"Then, hopefully you're not shaking in your boots. Kaidoh Kaoru is in the same block as you so you're going to fight him anyways." I reminded him.

"Hmm? So what kind of person is he?" He asked.

I pondered a bit. I did read a few status reports on all of the member, Regular and non-Regulars. "He's nicknamed 'Viper' due to his tenacious play-style so you're in for a long battle." He nodded. "Though all I can say is be the snake charmer. Don't let him charm you." I can see the confusion on his face as I walked towards the scoring board. "You should be able to take it from there."

I sat down behind the table and watched as Ryoma walked towards the D court. I sighed, knowing it's going to be a long day. The other courts have started on their matches, which means Ryoma should be as well. After almost ten minutes had passed, the first to appear was Fuji, no surprise there.

"Ah, Fuji-senpai. Done with your matches already?" I asked, knowing how redundant that question is. He nodded with his usual smile as he handed his score-book to me. Each court has a score-book to keep track of the scores and the winner of each block has to give the book to the scoring board for updating. "Huh, as expected of a Regular." I said as I wrote down his scores for Block C. "Hai, okay."

Fuji then walked off to watch the other matches, and after another ten minutes, was then replaced by Momoshiro who also won most of his matches. "Yo, Nanase!"

"Senpai, is your leg okay?" I asked, a bit worried for his sprain.

In true Momoshiro fashion, he waved it off, "Resting for more than a week makes my body numb. It's a good rehab exercise."

"Hai, sou desu ka?" I muttered as I updated the board again. "Just remember to ease off your leg a bit. Wouldn't want it to get worse before the district tournaments."

"Yes, mother." The dunk smash pro said with a sarcastic tone.

I smiled before shooing him away like a mother shooing her child, "Yes, yes. Now off you go."

"Eh? Aren't you going to watch your friend's match?" He asked.

"I want to but I can't leave here since everyone is still having matches." I explained before updating the board when another Regular, Oishi, came by. "Hai, okay, Oishi-senpai."

"Sorry to have you do this. I know how much you want to watch your friend's match." The vice-captain said, which I waved off.

"Nah, it's my job anyways." I then went back, shuffling the papers on the table around. I already remembered what happened in the match so I'm not too worried. "If you want, you might still be able to watch the match." With that, the two Regulars went off, leaving me to my work. I felt a smirk making its across my face, "Let's see who's going to get charmed. The snake, or the charmer?"

"Nanase Masahiko, 12 years old." A voice spoke and I turned to the owner to find Inui. Shouldn't he be watching Ryoma's match? "No known information about him, but is said to have won one Junior tournament back in the US and is rumored to be the only person Echizen Ryoma is close to."

The silence that followed was so thick, I could cut it with a knife. "...Well, that is true. About me and Ryoma being close. We're childhood friends after all."

Inui then scribbled that in his notebook, muttering "Ii data..."

"...Aren't you going to watch the match?" I finally asked the million-dollar question.

The glasses glinted in the sunlight as the data specialist closed his book, "I have collected enough data from his previous matches, and have already devised several strategies to win against him. The chances of him winning is a mere... 5%."

I raised a brow, 'Wow, since when did Inui get so confident?'

"And there's also a 75% chance of you trying to give him advice as well, as seen before his match with Kaidoh's." He said as he scribbled again. "You have access with all of our status reports so it's a given you would know our play-style and such. But that would only increase his chances of winning by 8%."

'Wow, he really thought up of everything... But...' "It's true I gave him advice but it's more of a hint since I know he won't be satisfied if he knows what he's up against." I admitted. "Still, that doesn't mean he won't be able to defeat you." I smirked. "He has this special talent for... doing the impossible." I then rested my head on my palm. "If you say his chances of winning is at 5%, then I'll say he'll win at that 5%."

"...We'll see at the ranking match." The data man said as he pushed up his glasses before walking away. I scoffed once he's out of earshot before turning to the approaching freshman. "How's the match, Ryoma?"

"...Tiring." He said as he gave his score-book to me. "I almost got tricked into his trap, if I didn't realize the meaning behind your hint." I hummed as I updated the last of the matches of the day. Tomorrow will be another set of ranking matches and Ryoma's match against Inui. "Be the snake charmer, huh? I can see why he's called 'Viper'. Other than the weird 'hissing' noises he makes."

I snickered as I packed up the table. "Ah, speaking of noises, do you know that I can hear your fan club's cheer from all the way here?" I said, smirking at his flinch. "You should be proud that you have such a lively fan club, Ryoma."

He scoffed, "If they can direct all of that energy to tennis, then they'll at least be a bit more competent than the ones in America."

"So does that mean you like girls who play tennis seriously?" I asked curiously. It's not many of a times for me to hear about Ryoma's preferences. What I remembered is that he likes girls who looks good in a ponytail... Whatever kind of preference that is. But I had seen many females who looked good with the ponytail hairstyles but not once Ryoma showed any interest. And that is before he's obsessed with tennis.

Ryoma flinched a bit before lowering his cap down, "Not really... Just someone I can share my passion with..."

I blinked, not getting what he's saying before sighing. Looks like I won't know what type of girl he likes... Hmm? Why do I feel so relief?

"Well, that's the last of the matches. Now to the clean-up." I said, pushing Ryoma towards the courts to help the other freshmen, vaguely noticing the two reporters by the side. Ah, that's right. This should be where Inoue realized who Ryoma really is. Well, it's not my problem. I can trust Inoue and Shiba.

 **XXXX**

The next day is another normal school day, and since there's no ranking matches, Ryoma decided to head for the nearby court we frequented lately. I didn't tell him about my confrontation with Inui yesterday but I had a feeling he knows. He decided to have a rally match; to see how long we can rally without the ball touching the ground.

"First to have the ball touch the ground will buy the other something!" Ryoma said as he served.

"Sounds good to me!" I replied as I hit back. "Of course, you'll want a Ponta anyways!"

That was the scene Sakuno came to as she stood by the side, watching the two boys rallying with each other. She remembered back when Tomoka told her to have a graceful form like Ryoma's but watching Masahiko play is a sight to behold. It's been a while since she last saw him play so she almost forgot how majestic he looks and how in sync these two are. It's almost like they're dancing to a beat.

What surprised her even more is Ryoma's expression. Back when he played in the ranking matches, his expression is this indifferent and nonchalant look. As if the matches are a chore to him, even when playing against a Regular, he only showed a slight interest. Right now, the face he's putting on...

"Ryoma-kun's... Smiling." She muttered. even from where she's standing, she could clearly see the giant grin on his face as he hit the ball back. Almost like he's having fun. She turned to Masahiko who seems to be more content than anything. The minutes passed by and they were still at it with Sakuno being more and more mesmerized by their play. Unconsciously, she moved closer until she accidentally hit the gates, causing the burgundy-haired boy to looked at her and the ball to fly pass him.

"Ah." I muttered out as I looked towards the ball on my side of the court. I shrugged with a smile, tapping my sky-blue racket on my right shoulder, "Looks like I'm buying."

"Mada mada dane." Ryoma smirked.

"Oh, shush you." I retorted. "De, a grape Ponta, right?"

"Nope." I blinked in surprise. Ryoma always buy a Ponta after a match. "You're cooking tonight, right?"

Ah, I see. "...Alright, grilled fish, right?" I sighed.

"Bingo. And chawan mushi." He added.

"Hai, hai." I said, as if taking orders in a family restaurant, before turning to the gates to see Ryuzaki slightly flailing her arms around. I sweat-dropped as she tried to hide herself, "Ano, do you need something, Ryuzaki-san?"

 **XXXX**

Meanwhile, at the Echizen residence, Inoue is playing a match against Nanjiro and losing quite badly. At the same time, a new guest unexpectedly appeared as he stood next the ladies to watch. The reporter kept asking questions while Nanjiro just kept dodging it.

"That lecherous man is amazing but is that his best return? Even though he's a pro?" Shiba asked. That is when the man decided to speak up.

"Not really." He said, scaring the reporter.

"Ah, Kyoshiro-san. It's been a while. When did you get here?" Nanako asked.

"Just now. I thought of visiting the family and checking up on my precious son but Rinko said that he's not here." The bespectacled man then started weeping anime-tears. "Papa, shock~" Nanako could only laugh nervously, knowing full well of the man's fatherly love have for his son. "Anyways," The man said, quickly recovering from his slight depression. "Take a look at Nanjiro's heel." They did, only to find a slight indent on the ground his left feet is on. "He hasn't moved an inch since the beginning." Kyoshiro said. "And it seems the young man have noticed as well."

Nanjiro looked up from the match and saw his old-time friend/rival. "Oh, Kyoshiro! When did you get here?"

"Just now. Thought I could drop by for a visit." He said as he stuffed his hands into his lab coat pocket.

Inoue, though gasping my breath, turned towards the newcomer. "Kyoshiro? As in THE Nanase Kyoshiro?! The one nicknamed 'The Magician'?"

The bespectacled man rubbed the back of his head. "That was a long time ago. Now I'm just a humble doctor."

"More like a quack doctor." Nanjiro mumbled.

"And you're a perverted monk." Kyoshiro fired back as he picked up the 'dirty' magazine from the bench. "Still reading this, eh Nanjiro?"

"Ah! Put it back!" Nanjiro cried, already remembering the times Kyoshiro burning his magazines back in their prime. Unlike him, Kyoshiro is a more responsible gentleman. That, and he wants to properly bring up his son. Though he knows his old friend/rival can be responsible at times... If given the right motivation. How they even became friends is even beyond him or anyone's guess.

"Hai, hai. Your opponent's waiting." The doctor said as he placed the magazine back down. The match then resumed with Nanjiro closing one eye. "Oh, seems to me, Nanjiro's giving a handicap. That's a first."

"Handicap?" Shiba asked.

"Just watch." As the match continued, the two reporters came to realize the true extent of the one formerly known as the 'Samurai'. That is until Kyoshiro pointed out, "Oh, Nanjiro's going easy on him this time."

"Ah!" Shiba exclaimed as she noticed both of the old man's eyes are closed. "No way! Both his eyes are closed!"

Kyoshiro smiled a bit as his old friend gave out bits and pieces of why he retired and Inoue slowly piecing it out. "Ah." He said as Nanjiro served a particularly strong one and it broke through Inoue's racket. "Oi, oi. Nanjiro, don't you think that's a bit much?"

"Ah, my bad!" The 'samurai' apologized before turning to him. "How about a match? Just like old times?"

The doctor smirked before removing his lab coat and giving it to Nanako. "Sure, just like old times." Out of nowhere, he produced out a racket just as battered as Nanjiro's as he walked to where Inoue stood before. Said reporter then took his place by the sidelines, eager to see the match between two legendary pros. "Try to get me serious, ok Nan-chan?"

Nanjiro grimaced, "Stop using that nickname the old hag gave me, or I'll start calling you Kyo-Kyo!" He served.

"Not unless you get serious!" He hit back.

"What are they talking about?" Shiba asked. Just then, Rinko came out to see the match.

"Ah, how nostalgic." Rinko said.

"Ah, auntie." Nanako greeted. "Has uncle played against Kyoshiro-san before? I usually only see each of their matches before but not against each other."

"They did, a long time ago." Rinko said. "It was after I started dating Nanjiro. I always did wonder why those two never play seriously against other opponents but once, they were paired against each other and..." She trailed off as Kyoshiro delivered a strong smash, that was returned by Nanjiro. "I can understand why. Compared to the others, their match was... how to put it, epic." She said in a dreamy tone. "It's like two exceptionally strong warriors battling out."

The spectators could only gap in awe as the former pros clashed as if their lives depended on it. That is until Kyoshiro raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, I'm done."

"Oi, don't stop there! We're just getting to the good part!" Nanjiro whined, flailing his racket at him.

"Gomen, but it seems time's up for me." The bespectacled man said as he looked up to the evening sky. "Besides, I need to get back to camp."

"Ah, that's right. You were asked to, right?" Nanjiro said as he tapped his racket on his shoulder. "That's rare of you since you like your secrecy."

"Hey, I prefer to develop future prospects. Not to completely end it." Kyoshiro said before turning to the reporters. "Sorry to ask this but can you don't tell anyone I was here? It might attract some unwanted attention."

 **XXXX**

After the reporters (who agreed to keep the whole thing a secret) and Kyoshiro had left, Ryoma and Masahiko came back. Albeit the former being even grumpier than usual, while the latter seems a bit confused and guilty at the same time. Rinko and Nanjiro blinked in surprise and confusion when Ryoma declared that he's going to bed, not once waiting for Masahiko to say anything and stomped off to bed, also slamming his bedroom door loudly.

"Geez, what's up his butt?" Nanjiro commented, earning him a whack on the head by his wife for his vulgar language. "So what happened?"

I shrugged, still trying to wrap my head around the situation. It all started when Sakuno interrupted, as Ryoma had said, our match and had asked him quite a few questions, which to the tennis prince are redundant. It was then she asked if he could teach her some tennis. He did, to my surprise, but turns out to be a very strict one since he kept correcting so many things on her. Not that I blame him though; I'm still cringing at her bad form and such.

Though the way he commented on her everything is almost as if he's looking down on her. Well, he did say girls in general are annoying... I can somewhat relate; the girls in our school are already annoying enough. And as much as I like Sakuno , it makes me cringe just how... stereotypical she is: Classic soft-spoken girl who tried a sport she hadn't played in just to impress her crush.

Then there's Tomoka... Ryoma's bossy, loudmouth and so-called No.1 fan. No offense to her, but the first time I met her, I just want to tape her mouth shut just so I can have a bit of peace and quiet. It doesn't helped the fact that she's so fixated on Ryoma that she thinks of me as an obstacle. She once went right into my face and demanded what relation I had with him. If the teacher hadn't walk right in, I would have slap her right there and then. She sorts of remind me too much of Jason's ex-girlfriend.

Anyways, after seeing her downcast expression, I couldn't helped but feel sorry for her so I opted to teach her instead while letting Ryoma do some self-training. That perked her up, much to my surprise since I thought she would want Ryoma who she knows is more tennis-oriented. But that of course hit a sore spot in Ryoma who, during the 'lessons', had been hitting fast and hard. I don't even know why, could it be he's jealous of me teaching Ryuzaki? Well, the series had somewhat confirm a RyoSaku ship so with me in the picture, it sort of develop quicker?

I did ask him if he wanted to take over but he flat out refused and continued his abuse on the wall.

It only got worse when Sakuno hugged me out of glee after she managed to rally for over two minute when she couldn't last over a second... And that seems to set Ryoma off since he almost broke the wall down with how hard he had smash the ball. I managed to get Sakuno out of there while Ryoma is on a warpath. I thought maybe a tennis game which soothe his mind but he blew me off and walked away with his bag... Without waiting for me.

"...And well, you know the rest." I finished. "So... What should I do?"

I could only blinked when the next thing I know, I was shepherded upstairs right in front of Ryoma's room while Nanjiro tried not to burst a gut downstairs. "Ryoma's not mad at you." Rinko had said. "He's just... going through some changes."

Ah... Another thing I don't like about this reincarnation thing... Going through puberty again. This time, with me being a guy, I might ended up having **_that_** in the future. Really not looking forward to.

Rinko then left me standing there. I felt a bit awkward, just standing in front of my best friend's room before shaking my head. 'If you want to do it, it's best to do it now.' I knocked on the door, "Ryoma, you in?" I then sweat-dropped at my question. Of course he's in. He practically slammed the door so loud, it echoed throughout the whole house.

No answer. I sighed, trying to gather as much courage I have. "I-I'm coming in." Turning the knob, I blinked to find it unlocked before slowly creeping in. The room is still lit with Karupin on the floor, playing with her cat toy Ryoma had recently bought for her while said boy is lying on his bed, on his side facing the wall. Slowly closing the door behind me, I scratched Karupin behind her ear before peering over the boy to find him sleeping. I huffed in relief, would it kill to turn off the lights if you're planning to sleep?

I sat on the edge, being careful not to rouse the sleeper, before thinking out reasons why Ryoma had been so angry. Was he jealous of me? If so, he wouldn't have kept his pace so he wouldn't voluntarily leave me in the dust. So why? I then remembered the past days since we first met Sakuno; there had been times he would inch closer to me whenever Sakuno and Tomoka would come to us, Tomoka to see her 'Ryoma-sama' while Sakuno just came by to ask some questions during class. I thought that was to get away from his fan girl, but there was once where Sakuno came by herself and he would still inch close to me.

Actually... Come to think of it, he would always fix a glare on any girl who comes near me. Since I myself had a fan club so they would sometimes flock to me to ask some questions, and being my nice self, I obliged. That is until I couldn't handle the attention, that's when Ryoma would step in and drag me out, after sending a glare towards the group.

Hold on... That one time Ryoma glared at her on that first day, I vaguely remembered something flashed by in his eyes. At first I thought he was irritated because he missed his chance to show off but...

Wait a minute... Could it be that Ryoma's not jealous of me but... Of Sakuno?

...Wow, talk about a turn on things. Although that means he doesn't like Sakuno, huh? That's good- OMG, what the hell was I thinking?! First Tezuka, now Ryoma! Hell no! I'm way too young to think about this! Screw the fact I'm almost thirty in mind! even though I still think he's cute and all- GAH!

I covered my face when I felt a burning blush threatening to appear. Of all times for it to appear... Stupid hormones! Geez, now I can understand why Rinko-san said he's going through some changes. This is why I hate puberty. I sighed. What an-

"-idiot. There's nothing to be jealous about. I don't like girls..." Not in that way, of course. Doesn't matter if I'm a boy now.

"Hmm? That so?" I jumped, almost falling to floor as Ryoma spoke up from behind me as he sat up.

"Geez, what the- Warn me, will you?!" I shouted. All that did was a raised brow before he placed a hand on my cheek. Ah, that's right, I forgot about my blush. I sighed before poking his forehead. "Yeah, it's so. So stop being jealous of the poor girl. You almost broke her spirit just now."

He turned to the side, grumbling "I'm not jealous. I just don't like how she's so close to you."

"Uh huh?" I skeptically said. "Anyways, does this clear up anything? Or are you still mad at me for something I have no control over?"

"...Sleep with me."

Okay, before any of you say anything, get your mind out of the gutter! We have sleepovers when we're kids so it's nothing unusual about it. And we're twelve, for heaven's sake!

Though I did faintly blushed at that. I'm still a girl at heart.

"What are you, three?" I teased as I went to switch off the lights before squeezing in with Ryoma. "Want me to sing to you?" He nodded. I smiled before patting his head like I would back in our childhood days whenever Ryoma would have a nightmare.

 _yami ni ukabu tsuki no stage ni_  
 _odoru kimi wo yume mitanda_  
 _fukai fukai mune no kizu wo_  
 _hitotsu hitotsu se owanaide_  
 _dare mo kimi wo semeyashinai_  
 _kimi wa kimi de ireba ii sa_

 _kikasete itoshiku hakanaku_  
 _tsubasaki de kanaderu bolero_  
 _maiagare kimi no kanashimi mo_  
 _iyasareru basho ni mitsukeru sa_

I then hummed out the rest once I see Ryoma sleeping soundly before doing the same myself. My last thoughts was how would Rinko-san and Nanjiro would take if they see us like this.

Outside, Rinko smiled serenely as she peeked into her son's room to find both her boys (She thinks Masa as her son) sleeping soundly before giggling to herself. How she wished Miyako was here to see this. They make such a cute couple.

 **XXXX**

I stretched as Ryoma and I walked towards the courts after changing to our sports attire. After the drama yesterday, Sakuno came by to apologize whatever she did to anger the tennis prince which I commented, to save him face, that he was a bit antsy after remembering something he had to do but forgot to. That, of course, earned me a glare from said prince and a relieved smile from the girl. I would have said that he was jealous of her but that would only make things complicated.

I checked the score boards to make sure they tally up to the score books that were kept safely away to make sure no one cheated by putting false scores. "Ryoma, looks like you're up against the third-year Regular, Inui-senpai."

"Hmm?"

"He pretty much plays a type of tennis called 'Data Tennis'." I said as I gave the book for Block D to him.

"Data Tennis?" He parroted.

I nodded, "As its name sounds, it involves constantly collecting and analyzing the data of other players in order to determine strengths, weaknesses and habits."

"...So it's annoying tennis." He said as I handed out the other books to some juniors from other blocks.

"Pretty much. To put it simply, it's almost like you're fighting with yourself." I added. "You better go then. The match is about to start." He nodded and was about to go when I stopped him, "A word of advice, Ryoma." He turned to me and I smirked, "The you from yesterday and the you from today. You decided who will win." And just like before his match with Kaidoh, he sent me a confused stare before walking off.

"...Hopefully that wasn't too hard for him." I muttered as I went back to work.

"I think he'll be fine." I looked up again to find Fuji. "Saa, Nanase-kun."

"Ah, Fuji-senpai." I nodded in greeting. "Shouldn't you be in a match soon?" I turned to the board to see his match is with... Kawamura.

"It won't be for another hour since Tezuka and Oishi are still at it." Ah, that's right. The captain and vice-captain were having a match of some sorts. "Besides, I'm more interested in you."

"...I hope you're joking." I deadpanned. I don't need another drama when I just resolved one yesterday.

"Not in the slightest. You seem to know which advice seems to fit the situation the best. Like just now: The you from yesterday and the you from today." The tennis genius smiled.

"...Can I not help my best friend? Besides, he might get too riled up if not warned." I said.

"Saa, so you think he can win against Inui?" Fuji asked.

He seems a bit talkative towards someone everyone thinks is an amateur player. "I don't think. I know."

He chuckled, "With such high expectations, I guess I'll go watch the match." He waved at me before departing for the court. I stared at his back before scoffing. What a weird senpai...

It wasn't long until the next senior came by, and not one I expected.

"Nanase Masahiko." I looked up from the paper pile I had and almost did a double-take when THE Tezuka Kunimitsu stood right in front of me.

"H-Hai, is there something you need, Tezuka-buchou?" I stuttered as his frame towered over me.

"There is something I would to ask of you." I raised a brow in confusion.

 **XXXX**

Ryoma yawned after his win against Inui. He understood why Masa said that his tennis is like fighting with yourself. But thanks to his advice, he clinched a win, guaranteeing a spot on the Regulars. He can't wait to show Masa as he approached the table but found instead of the usual smile he's familiar with, it's replaced with a hard frown.

"Masa?" I snapped out of my thoughts to see Ryoma.

"Ah, Ryoma. Done with your match?" I smiled awkwardly, trying to fight down the uneasy feeling I had. He nodded before handing the book to me. "Well, it seems Seigaku has their first freshman Regular." I said as I updated the board again. "How was it?"

"Annoying. It's like staring at your own reflection. He kept coming up with all sorts of probability and what nots." I heard him said. "It makes my brain hurt."

I chuckled, "He's not called the data specialist for nothing."

"...Masa, did something happened?" I tensed when he asked.

I hesitated to answer but sighing and turning to him with uncertainty written on my face. "Just now... Tezuka-buchou requested me to be in a match."

* * *

 **Here's another chapter! This one's unique since I'm changing perspective one way or the other but it's so I could make it longer. It's to also slightly introduce Kyoshiro, Masahiko's father.**

 **Another note is if it's not clear to you, the main pairing will be RyoMasa. There will be other CanonXOC while some canon pairings... If you know which one.**

 **The song Masa was singing is called 'Bolero' by DBSK. Though I prefer the one done by Lollia and her gang. Find it on youtube.**

 **Also, I'll be away on a vacation trip and won't be back after Christmas. So the awaited Masahiko's match will not be for a while. But I'll try to post as fast as I can... If I can.**


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